Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire

[Tekraen]

"Drop the illusion, Luna, I think he got the point. You did get the point, didn't you, Mister Danovich? You think you're special because you can physically harm me. Fool. The cunning warrior aims for the heart. I can make you suffer like you have never suffered before. I can see your greatest fears, and I can make you believe that you have encountered them. Swear fealty to Clan Deegan, or you will be haunted at every turn by the phantom corpses of those you love most."

This begs for a slay.

GO FORTH, I command it!

[Morty]

Well, something OTHER than having to do 'community service', riiiiight?

Bah. I could make him go with community service, as long as noone claims the punishment to be unfair in the next friggin' strip.

[Kurald Galain]

I mean, making him think he has killed his lover in a fit of rage? How do you even top that?

Wait!

I figured it out: in order to rescue his best buddy pal from hell, he needs to go there himself. But they don't admit good guys there, so he had to do something horrible first, like kill his lover (I'm sure hell would be glad to admit Dom, who's already a bastard). So it was all for the good. You see, kids, just like rape can be a good thing, delivering long-lasting mental trauma can be super effective. Yay!

[sihnfahl]

You know what, by now, that wouldn't surprise me either.
Because, obviously, the noble orcs would never have a law like this. It must have been the work of the evil ones. And the racists. Don't forget the racists.

It came to me last night after I answered that little question about the 'noble rape'.

... I swear, sometimes DD just -begs- for this dark of a storyline.

[Gez]

Damn, why did it have to be an illusion?

Also, I'm kinda surprised. I would have expected it to end on the picture of dead Jayden (which I will now call Jaydead 'cause it amuses me), with the "wait, it was only a cliffhanger and an illusion!" revelation on the next strip.

[Friv]

I've got to say, I appear to be in a different boat than some people here.

After all, Luna may have created the image of Jayden and then added the blood, but it was Milov who drove his claws through her neck.

She didn't make him do that. He was psycopathic all by himself. If I were Jayden, I would be seriously considering looking for someone new right about now.

(And no, I don't care if he was remorseful. He was willing to kill her while angry due to a vision sent from hell with no time attached to it. There are a half dozen ways that could have been a lie or deceit. If that's his response to things... well, I see why he and Siggy got along.)

[Jibar]

Ya know, I really expected Dominic to just stand there and say something like "Oh snap" before it turns out to be an illusion.

I'm also picturing Evil Homer dancing around Good Homer's grave, except it's not Evil Homer, it's Dominic, and it's not a grave, it is a pile of the corpses of everyone Dom has ever known.
I think it's kinda funny.

@V I've seen it. I just love the idea of Dom saying "oh snap"
In fact, I shall henceforth never be happy with Dom again (if the strip turns around that is) until he says "oh snap"

[sihnfahl]

Ya know, I really expected Dominic to just stand there and say something like "Oh snap" before it turns out to be an illusion.

There's a nice strip slay... check it out!

it's far better than your suggestion.

[ElfLad]

Mookie's take on the issue.

I toyed with the idea of an "OMG SOMEONE DIED!" cliffhanger, but this is going to be a sad and dramatic arc overall, so I decided I want to try and fit in as many jokes as possible. There aren't going to be many, mind you, but I brought Nimmel and Spark along for a reason. :)

-M.

You heard that right, Mookie considers the final panel to be a joke. When I look at it, I do not see "funny." I see "vapid" and "lacking any redeeming value whatsoever."

This says volumes about Mookie's skill as a humorist.

[rubakhin]

Jesus. Milov just took off Jayden's head. Moreover, they anticipated him taking off Jayden's head and made an illusion in order to protect her.

And this, er, isn't going to cause any problems in their relationship at all?

[Winterwind]

"Drop the illusion, Luna, I think he got the point. You did get the point, didn't you, Mister Danovich? You think you're special because you can physically harm me. Fool. The cunning warrior aims for the heart. I can make you suffer like you have never suffered before. I can see your greatest fears, and I can make you believe that you have encountered them. Swear fealty to Clan Deegan, or you will be haunted at every turn by the phantom corpses of those you love most."

This post of yours, and averagejoe's One Panel Arcs from page 1 of this thread, are what justifies DD's existance.

I've got to say, I appear to be in a different boat than some people here.*explanation*

Presumably, that would be me.
You misunderstand - I was not trying to justify what Milov had done here, though I admittedly seem to have recepted it in a quite different way than you (for starters, I wouldn't call that psychopathic - insufferable pain has clouded his judgement. I know how betrayal feels, I prefer not to imagine how betrayed love must feel).
However, to add the most horrible pain imaginable to all of the pain which was already enough to make him snap on its own, for pretty much no good reason, is pure cruelty, and nothing else. While what Milov did there was condemnable, he at least had a reason for acting that way - otherwise good people might act the same way in his situation, both in fiction and in reality. Luna, on the other hand, was just being cruel in an incredible magnitude.

And Mookie's view on what happened there just leaves me head-shaking. Wow. Way to lose what little respect I had left for you, Mookie.

[sihnfahl]

And this, er, isn't going to cause any problems in their relationship at all?

Of course it's going to cause problems!

Jayden's going to force Milov to sleep on the couch tonight.

And Milov's going to build a Couch Fort.

And Dom's going to have to walk the dog.

[Winterwind]

And Dom's going to have to walk the dog.

Which is incredibly unfair and is going to be lamented for at least one or two strips!

Mookie also wrote this arc was going to be sad and dramatic.
...Oh my.

[sihnfahl]

Which is incredibly unfair and is going to be lamented for at least one or two strips!

And be promptly forgotten by everyone involved.

Mookie also wrote this arc was going to be sad and dramatic.... Oh my.

Yeah, it is a bit sad...


And wait, did I say MILOV was going to have to sleep on the couch? No, no, 'BAD MILOV! What did we say about getting on the couch!? Back to your rug!'

[Myrdhale]

@winterwind: I totally agree with you on the whole "adding mind-breaking grief to injury" with the illusion thing. I've lost my temper in my day, and I've done somethings I've regretted after. Now, I'm not a magic werewolf, so I didn't kill anyone or anything like that, but you feel pretty bad, So what Luna did here was.. just really mean. Whether or not it turned out to be true, Milov now has to see himself as what he could be, a beast so feral and driven by rage that the most important person to him, the love of his life, he could strike her down without thought if he let himself go.

.... But, that won't happen, since this is DD, and any good character development is scrapped in favor of puns or bad attempts at humor.

It would have been better as a cliffhanger, imo. The way it ended this time, it was hollow.

"I decided I want to try and fit in as many jokes as possible. -M"

goddamn. He really can't realise that there are times when jokes lighten the mood, and times when they ruin the moment. Jayden being kinda creeped out by her corpse? WTH!!!!! HE JUST KILLED YOU! It's like Jayden always expected he might slit her throat, and this just confirms it! She's way to calm about it. And, DOminic also is way to calm. I hate the way he appraises the whole situation instantly. He was about to be killed, was totally helpess, looked like he was scared out of his mind, but a second later, he's calm, cool collected and mister perfect once more.

This Strip pissed me off more than super greg. It's not ridiculous story writing, it's horrible story writing, and a total lack of understanding of how people would or should react.

*rant fume grumble rant*

*deep breath*

and I'm back.
Honestly, the only thing that keeps me going on this crap comic is this forum. I can't laugh at it anymore. It's that bad. I can only enjoy watching it being torn to pieces here. Like watching a piece of bad meat getting shredded by a pack of hungry dogs (which is way more fun than reading DD has become).

[Duke Malagigi]

"Wow Luna, are trying be a hero by Vetinari's standards? If so you're doing a bang up job right now. Same for you Milov." <points to Dominic> "You, get to Vetinari's scorpion pit, now!"

[1dominator]

"Wow Luna, are trying be a hero by Vetinari's standards? If so you're doing a bang up job right now. Same for you Milov." <points to Dominic> "You, get to Vetinari's scorpion pit, now!"

Which Vetinari are we talking about here? The one from Ankh-Morpork?
On a lighter note, Dominic continues to be an arrogant son of a *****. He just likely caused MENTAL TRAUMA in Milov, and he just STANDS there saying in a perfectly calm voice. "Very good, it was an illusion, lucky you eh? EH?"
A good continuation from here would be if Milov simply snaps, and kills evryone in the building. Which i know will never happen due to the Dominic & Luna team totaly owning him with their godlienes.
-Dom

[1dominator]

goddamn. He really can't realise that there are times when jokes lighten the mood, and times when they ruin the moment. Jayden being kinda creeped out by her corpse? WTH!!!!! HE JUST KILLED YOU! It's like Jayden always expected he might slit her throat, and this just confirms it! She's way to calm about it. And, DOminic also is way to calm. I hate the way he appraises the whole situation instantly. He was about to be killed, was totally helpess, looked like he was scared out of his mind, but a second later, he's calm, cool collected and mister perfect once more.

This Strip pissed me off more than super greg. It's not ridiculous story writing, it's horrible story writing, and a total lack of understanding of how people would or should react.

*rant fume grumble rant*

*deep breath*

and I'm back.
Honestly, the only thing that keeps me going on this crap comic is this forum. I can't laugh at it anymore. It's that bad. I can only enjoy watching it being torn to pieces here. Like watching a piece of bad meat getting shredded by a pack of hungry dogs (which is way more fun than reading DD has become).

100% behind you on this one. But as they say, no worries!
-Dom

[Winterwind]

I agree to every word you say, Myrdhale. SuperGreg was just Shark-Jumping. This... was vile storywriting.
And I'd like to note that I agree even with your stance on why you continue reading DD, even though until today's strip I sincerely hoped for redemption. After today, not anymore.

[Duke Malagigi]

Which Vetinari are we talking about here? The one from Ankh-Morpork?

Yes, that Vetinari.

[Khosan]

Actually getting him to kill his lover in a fit of rage? His transformation to the Dark Side will be complete!

But he hasn't killed the younglings!

[DocFrance]

GOD DAMMIT TERRACIANO

I had just got my hopes up that something interesting was actually happening, only to find out that it was just "lol, illusion." Is anything going to happen in this arc besides furry hell?

[Myrdhale]

What makes me even angrier is the live journal lackeys. I mean, yeah, some of them aparently are getting sick of Dominic too, but how can they think that was a good idea? I mean, come on... I can't even think of an analogy that wouldn't insult the thing being compared to DD.

It didn't used to be like this... jokes had their place at the calm points of the arc, not every comic.. and... god damn it, using jokes, bad ones, to lighten a sad arc? That doesn't make the arc more palatable, that just makes the all drama and loss lukewarm and unninteresting. If the characters can crack jokes while their about to be killed, you can't take any threat seriously...

but as long as the mookie-licking fanbois on the livejornal forums keep praising him, he's never going to learn, and take a good strong look at what's wrong with his comic right now.

[Humbug]

I had a sneaky feeling about that last panel being a punchline. I didn't think it was funny, at all. What made Mookie think it would be a good idea to crack a joke at what was supposed to be a dramatic moment?

[Winterwind]

Presumably, the same thing that let him have Gregory still act out his superhero fantasy when his friends were right on the edge of death.

And when reading that comment from Mookie I couldn't help but notice that even on the Fansite Forum, which I believed was generally less sheepish than the Livejournal community, the people generally cherished this strip.

Now, don't get me wrong - I usually don't mind people enjoying things that I do not, on the contrary, I'm glad for them.

But this strip was morally wrong!

[Atheist_Cleric]

Around 99.999999999 (repeating of course)% of this forum appears to be reacting negatively to the latest DD strip, so I must of course react positively. The number one complaint here seems to be along the lines of "omg wtf cruel illusion use Dominic sux and Luna is a biatch". Now i'll admit that killing a lover who has betrayed you in a fit of rage and then realising what you've done, only to then find out it was an illusion, would be a real psychological sucker-punch. But Milov was about to kill Dominic. Would it have been preferrable for Luna to hit Milov with some powerful attack spell, thus incapacitating him? Lets think about that. Most spells designed for powerful force have a fairly wide dispersal radius. Meaning its likely Dominic would get hit too. Also, as a spellwolf, it's been shown that Milov can negate direct attack spells anyway. Thirdly, knocking him down physically would just mean he'd wake up later just as angry, and the cycle would likely repeat itself.

Showing him that realistic, horrible illusion was cruel. But it was also logically the best way to shut him down. Its not like they were just dealing with a pissed off boyfriend. They were dealing with a pissed off boyfriend in the form of a magic-weilding werewolf in the midst of a pyscopathic feral rage frenzy. And sure it'll have reprecussions, but I dont think its the "worst plot move ever" most people are making it out to be. So it's not nice, its not kind, its callous and cruel. Well to make a decent story, sometimes you have to be. People are never always good, nice, kind, compassionate and unerstanding. Even if they are a lot of the time. Nobody is perfect, even if you're someone with magical powers who has saved the world. Maybe this movement in plot was a mistake, but frankly I dont see anything wrong with it. It's just like similar events that happen all the time, only with magic powers, werewolves and the legions of hell mixed in.

[averagejoe]

I should say again that I thought today's was pretty hilarious. Probably in a, "Not the sort of hilarious the author intended," way, but still. It's not good, but this is far from the low point of the series.

[Turcano]

Would it have been preferrable for Luna to hit Milov with some powerful attack spell, thus incapacitating him? Lets think about that. Most spells designed for powerful force have a fairly wide dispersal radius. Meaning its likely Dominic would get hit too.

You make that sound like it's a bad thing.

[Saithis Bladewing]

You make that sound like it's a bad thing.

It is for Luna, and that's who has the real spellcasting abilities there. I may not be fond of Mookie's writing all of the time, but at least he's keeping to the way he's written his characters so far.

[Kurald Galain]

Would it have been preferrable for Luna to hit Milov with some powerful attack spell, thus incapacitating him?

Obviously.

Most spells designed for powerful force have a fairly wide dispersal radius.

No. There are plenty of high-power spells that have a single target, such as Power Words and even Omega Murder Blast.

Thirdly, knocking him down physically would just mean he'd wake up later just as angry, and the cycle would likely repeat itself.

No. Knocking people down can calm them down way better than giving them permanent mental trauma.

They were dealing with a pissed off boyfriend in the form of a magic-weilding werewolf in the midst of a pyscopathic feral rage frenzy.

Well, not really. It's not like there's anyone in the room who doesn't have a Plot Shield. Nobody was in any kind of danger, except for the furniture.

And sure it'll have reprecussions,

Wanna bet that this episode will have zero repercussions for Luna and Dom?

Well to make a decent story,

So not going to answer that